Good to know. I will give them a call.

I went with Charter Lakes because they were so flexible on coverage (offering me ocean coverage, no lay up period, etc.)

Thanks for all the options:D Chris, I am happy with my home and car insurance.

I'll make a few phone calls.

Thanks guys
5th

I have charter lakes and would highly recommend them. I have placed a claim -- for a maybe 1500 in gear stolen off my boat -- and they not only got me the proceeds very quickly, they also did NOT increase my rates. The gear was stolen on a Sunday afternoon. I called thinking the office would be closed and got no answer. 30 seconds later the claims guy called me back on his day off and got the paperwork going. Frankly the best service I have had in years. And the price is right on the insurance. Cheaper than the big name providers with better service.

I got an estimate from Hogan. Charter lakes is better for me with some ocean coverage, no lay up, high liability coverage, etc. thanks for the suggestion though. Plus I have towing coverage with Charter Lakes included.

Marty, the insurance companies that I have heard the best things about are Erie, Charter Lakes, and ACE. I have ACE and had a claim three years (2012)ago when some lowlife cut the mounting brackets on my HDS 10 and stole it. ACE was great to deal with - paid quickly and no hassle, but that wasn't a collision claim. My rate did not jump appreciably in 2013 ($820), but went to $880 in 2014 and was $876 this year. I'm restricted to the Chesapeake Bay, and need a rider if I use the boat between Dec 1 and April 1. Apparently it is not unusual for insurance companies to have a default clause in policies (over 26' I believe) for a seasonal layup period in this area of the country. I had to read my policy to find that stipulation.

Well; April at Charter Lakes was great to deal with. We went over all the coverages and deductibles. I'm getting a better policy for less than my Boat U.S. premium:D As we were comparing the two policies, I found that B.U.S. had not only increased my premium by $70, but they had upped my deductibles as well. It seems that I had a "diminishing deductible" that had gone down over the years, but because I had put in a claim, they bumped it back up to the max as well.



There is no "lay up" period for winter (wasn't for B.U.S. either), however, the new policy has $2,500 towing for each incident:eek: I was paying a separate Boat U.S. policy for unlimited towing:mad:

I can't find any negatives.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments from the board.
5th

Boat US overloads me with garbage mail all of the time. When I finished building my 42'er I asked them for a quote. They said my 5 page survey from a registered boat surveyor wasn't good enough!:confused:
Went up the road to the Allstate agent and NO PROBLEMS. Includes towing. Boat US will never get a penny out of me.
I'm guessing Boat US makes their money off of trailer boats that spend the majority of their life sitting in the yard on the trailer.

Rekindling an old thread. My BoatUS policy is up for renewal in Sept. They are now underwritten by Geico (3rd carrier in 3 years I believe) and of course the premiums are almost 15% higher. So I went back to this thread and contacted Charter Lakes. I have 2 separate quotes with 2 carriers, both significantly more affordable than my current policy, but wanted to see how satisfied everyone still is. Also, does anyone continue to have a separate SeaTow or BoatUS towing policy or is the towing within these other policies adequate? Never had to use it and hope not to but want to see if there is an advantage to keeping one or the other. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Marty I have to throw my support in for Erie as well.

While not ever having to do a claim on the boat, I have been in 3 auto accidents in the last time years (none my fault) and they were great to work with.

Also had a flood in the house years ago and they took care of it quickly and to my satisfaction.

And with that said, my rates have never gone up due to any type of claim.

AJSB
Luckily; I haven't had to put in a claim with Charter Lakes:D Of course, I never put in a claim with Boat US for over 15 years either; so I don't know how they will react. However, I do know how BOAT US reacted and I felt like I would be supporting their actions if I had stayed with them:mad:

As to your second question about keeping towing. I reluctantly did keep my towing with Boat US towing. I have 2500 dollars on water towing with my Charter Lakes policy, but I need TRAILER ASSIST for when we trailer to Southern Maryland (Point Lookout) in the fall.

I hate supporting Boat US in any way, but I do use the on water fuel discount, the West Marine discount, and I enjoy the Boat US magazine.

So there you have it. I guess every insurance company is a crap shoot until you need them. I just didn't think I got my monies worth out of Boat US when I needed them.

Best of luck with your new carrier. Sounds like their are several options for you to use.
5th (Marty)